General
Movie review: ‘Limitless’ intriguing but limited
Mar 18th
“Limitless” is limited, but intriguing nonetheless.
Much of this has to do with director Neil Burger (“The Illusionist”), who brings a kooky edge to the story. The rest has to do with star Bradley Cooper (“The Hangover,” ”The A-Team”) proving he actually might be more than just another pretty face.
Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a would-be writer who’s been going nowhere for quite some time. As we meet Eddie he’s scraggly and run-down looking, which only goes to show that Bradley Cooper is still killer good-looking even when he’s scraggly and run-down.
Early on, Eddie runs into his ex-brother-in-law, a sleazoid type who has just the thing for Eddie: A special pill that will allow him to use all the brain power at his disposal, as opposed to the sliver of gray matter humans use on a regular basis.
Suddenly Eddie’s finishing a novel in a couple of days, and it’s brilliant. Scoring a few more pills, he realizes he can make a fortune in the financial world. Unfortunately, he needs some start-up money, so he turns to a loan shark (Andrew Howard). Then, when he’s scored big, he starts working with a major mogul (Robert De Niro).
Meanwhile, Eddie’s dealer runs into some trouble of the dead kind and Eddie makes off with his stash. His addiction grows; his success grows; his stash keeps shrinking. Eventually, his associates want a part of it. Eddie may be on top, but the bottom seems to be beckoning.
It’s a straightforward tension Burger is dealing with, working from Leslie Dixon’s adaptation of Alan Glynn’s novel, but he keeps throwing in little kinks to keep things interesting.
And, at its heart, the film keeps asking: Would you do it? Who could pass it up? Is this the devil in disguise or heaven opening up? You choose.
“Limitless,” a Relativity Media release, is rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language. Running time: 105 minutes. Grade B.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.
From washingtonexaminer.com
Kevin Costner is Now Official as Pa Kent in Superman Reboot Movie
Mar 18th
Kevin Costner is Now Official as Pa Kent in Superman Reboot Movie March 17, 2011
Kevin Costner today sealed a deal with Warner Bros. to star in the upcoming Superman reboot movie as Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive father.
Latino Review first broke the Costner news back on February 21 before the deal had been finalized. Negotiations to land the celebrated actor took almost or more than a month. Today THR made it official with the deal closing.
Costner will play alongside Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive mother, and Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman. Other roles, including the villain or villains, have yet to be officially announced.
Zack Snyder is directing the Superman reboot movie which is a completely separate canon and story from everything released before it. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are handling producing duties with Nolan taking a hands-on approach to overseeing the project.
The as-of-yet titled Superman reboot movie will fly into theaters in December, 2012.
From www.thehdroom.com
‘Avengers’ movie to be filmed in Cleveland this summer
Mar 18th
CLEVELAND — A major motion picture, “The Avengers,” is going to be shot in Cleveland.
Gov. John Kasich made the announcement Thursday prior to Mayor Frank Jackson’s State of the City Speech.
The movie is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team. The movie will start shooting soon. Reportedly, movie personnel are in town already scouting locations.
The film will bring some big name actors reprising their roles from earlier movies. Robert Downey Jr. will be Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson will be Nick Fury and Scarlett Johansson will be the Black Widow.
Wayne Hill, chairman of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, called this “the largest film ever shot in Ohio.”
It will mean a significant number of jobs.
The movie was set to be shot in Detroit but Michigan’s governor planned to eliminate tax credits. The picture will get tax advantages for shooting in Ohio.
“I’m thrilled we’re are going to have this here. I’m just bucking for a part as Governator 2,” Kasich said.
From www.marionstar.com
Larry the cable, movie and comic guy
Mar 17th
After Larry the Cable Guy performs his stand-up comedy Saturday night at the Topeka Performing Arts Center, his fans won’t have to wait long to see — or hear — him again.
The comedian’s show at 8 p.m. Saturday will be his sixth set at TPAC, the most by any comic there. He made his TPAC debut with one show in 2004, did two shows in 2008 and two more in 2009. He also performed a 2005 concert at the Kansas Expocentre.
For diehard fans of the redneck comedian, whose real name is Dan Whitney, those “Git-R-Done” gaps have been too long, but since Feb. 8, they have been able to get a weekly dose of the comic at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, the air time of “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy” on cable’s History network.
That hourlong series features him crisscrossing the country seeking out community celebrations, local attractions and “just regular Americans.”
The History show hasn’t been Larry’s only off-stage gig.
On June 24, he — or at least his trademark voice — will return to big screens with the release of “Cars 2,” the sequel to the 2006 Oscar-nominated, Disney-Pixar animated feature film, “Cars.” “Cars 2″ again will feature Larry voicing Mater, a beat-up tow truck and best friend of Lightning McQueen, a race car voiced by Owen Wilson.
However, “Cars 2″ hasn’t been Larry’s only recent movie-making exploit. He just wrapped the filming of “Tooth Fairy 2,” the sequel to 2010′s “Tooth Fairy,” which had Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson donning wings for a weeklong stint as a real-life tooth fairy.
Instead of the professional wrestler turned actor slipping into pink tights, it will be Larry the Cable Guy, who recently told People magazine: “The Rock is buff and ripped, so it was funny to see him dressed like the tooth fairy. But it’s even funnier to see a fat white guy in a tutu.”
Unlike “Tooth Fairy,” which critics slammed, “Tooth Fairy 2,” which will be a direct-to-DVD release, won’t be subjected to movie reviewers who have generally disliked Larry the Cable Guy’s big screen appearances when he isn’t voicing an animated character or doing stand-up.
He is a two-time Razzie Award nominee for Worst Actor: in 2007 for “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” and in 2009 for “Witless Protection,” for which he shared a Worst Screen Couple nomination with Jenny McCarthy.
Those who have seen Larry the Cable Guy’s Comedy Central roast know he meets such criticism with a sense of humor and whatever he does on television or in movies is a sideline to him.
In a January interview with The Topeka Capital-Journal about “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy’s” debut, he made no bones about what he likes doing best.
“There is nothing better than doing live stand-up,” he said. “I like doing other projects because it challenges me, especially this project. But, no, stand-up is the funnest part of what I do. I’m a comedian, and I enjoy the freedom of doing stand-up. So its’ definitely by far the best thing.”
Audiences can share Larry the Cable Guy’s “best thing” Saturday night at TPAC.
Bill Blankenship can be reached at (785) 295-1284 or bill.blankenCloseship@cjonline.com.
From cjonline.com
The Movie Masochist: Limpid lycanthropy
Mar 17th
Some stories are redone and overworked so much they have as much flavor as day-old chewing gum. Take Little Red Riding Hood, the famous children’s story that originated at least 400 years ago. In recent decades it’s been refitted to contemporary genres such as horror, suspense, and comedy and – God help us – even the musical.
The last words on the girl in the red cloak should have been – for a while, anyway – Angela Carter’s 1979 short story “The Company of Wolves,” a wicked little piece that has the heroine turn the tables on the predatory wolf and make her own passage into adulthood, with intimations that she’s something of a wolf herself. In 1984 director Neil Jordan adapted the story into a lushly menacing fairy tale that kept Carter’s dark wit and insight largely intact. Carter/Jordan’s wolves were not entirely villainous, but they were demonically alluring and always dangerous.
Now here comes “Red Riding Hood,” an entirely different beast.
In this case there’s a girl (woman, really) in a red cloak, a wolf, a grandma plus a whole lot of story padding. To make the story fit the “Twilight” model of turning monster movies into teen romances, the heroine Hood has two well-coiffed guys in love with her along with sense of feminine empowerment that turns out to be utterly false.
If the movie seems reminiscent of “Twilight,” that’s in part due to Catherine Hardwicke, the director who had the unenviable task of translating the first of the teen vampire stories to the screen. Although Hardwicke was given the boot after the first movie, she doesn’t seem to have overcome the “Twilight” mindset. There’s nary a pimple or unsightly scar in sight; many of the actors look like they came straight from an Estee Lauder ad.
The performers’ clean-scrubbed appearances stand out even more because the movie’s vaguely medieval setting. If you’re going to create a fairy-tale setting and avoid the grime of the Middle Ages, you would probably do well to make everything stylized and exaggerated to fit the unreal world of myth. The movie’s village of Daggerhorn, however, looks like a 14th century-themed ski resort – you half expect to see the gift shop as the camera follows the actors down the offal-free street. And everyone’s too clean-looking to suggest they use chamber pots.
The spotless village is really just a backdrop for the love triangle between Red Riding Hood – here named Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) – and woodcutter Peter and blacksmith’s son Henry. Sure the wolf – here it’s a werewolf runs amok, but there’s no time wasted generating suspense, which is the fuel that powers horror movies. A horror film without scares … it’s like saying “Let’s make a musical, but we’ll avoid all those distracting songs.” Speaking of which, many of the romantic goings-on in “Little Red Riding Hood” are accompanied by songs so mild and milquetoast they make Enya sound like Motorhead.
The movie ends with Valerie’s rescue from the wolf – it seems she was just as helpless as the little girl of old. The werewolf is unmasked, true love prevails and a closing song gently awakens the audience from its likely nap. Although its primary demographic is teenage girls, “Red Riding Hood” is probably best suited to small children who need that extra soporific to ease them to sleep.
Rated PG-13 for remarkably unscary bloodletting.
Two stars. Horrible.
The rating system:
One star – Lousy
Two stars Horrible
Three stars – Painful
Four stars – Traumatic
The Movie Masochist is an emotionally wounded cinephile who lives in the United States. He watches bad movies so you don’t have to. For more reviews, go to www.themoviemasochist.com.
From www.miamiherald.com
Paramount Movie World Premiere on BitTorrent: PR Stunt or The Future?
Mar 17th
The world premiere of Paramount Pictures The Tunnel will happen in a few months, but not in a theater–it’s going to be released on BitTorrent, for peer-to-peer distribution. Yup, that’s the same tech video pirates utilize.
The movie is set in a network of abandoned rail tunnels that really exist underneath Sydney, Australia, and from the teaser trailer the film proceeds as a real-life feeling horror/thriller with a nod to the Blair Witch Project. Much like that film, this movie seems a little unconventional, and this fits with the MO of the film’s producers, Distracted Media–the team tried to raise money for the project by selling individual frames of it. Simultaneously with its release on BitTorrent, there will be a DVD release through Paramount pictures, and this is where the clever monetizing bit of the plan occurs: The DVD includes hours of extra footage behind the scenes and an alternative ending, intended to entice fans to buy a physical copy.
The thing is, it probably won’t be long before that DVD edition is released as a pirated torrent too, which could impact on the plan to sell many DVDs. Is Paramount hoping that many horror movie fans have scruples and will pay for the real deal? Or is it actually a carefully thought-out directed marketing plan that has a feel similar to Radiohead’s experimental “pay what you want” album sale, intended to attract only true fans of the movie?
Distracted Media’s Enxo Tedeschi spoke about the plan, and highlighted how “forward thinking” Paramount has been–an interesting position given the studio, like most Hollywood studios, is sternly anti-piracy and it’s COO has even this week been speaking to a Congressional committee to try to tighten up anti-piracy laws. Tedeschi remarked to TorrentFreak that the film is not all about “supporting or condoning piracy, but instead trying to incorporate a legitimate use of peer-to-peer in our distribution strategy internationally.” This last bit does make good sense: Some sources of piracy have been identified in staggered international release in theaters (or on DVDs) of big movie titles, and a bit torrent release will be, by its very nature, a global affair.
Just one question remains: This movie is technically a straight-to-DVD affair, since it’s not going to theaters…so is the bit torrent release a clever bit of backwards PR, using the same tools that pirates use to drum up interest in the flick itself?
To read more news like this, follow Fast Company on Twitter: Click here.
From www.fastcompany.com
Groupon Goes to the Movies
Mar 17th
As if there could be any doubt that Silicon Valley and Hollywood are enmeshed, Facebook is testing movie delivery with Warner Bros. starting with Batman The Dark Knight rentals for 30 Facebook credits or $3.
Netflix, already in the streaming movie business, has committed approximately $100 million to buy and develop two 13-episode seasons of House of Cards, a drama starring Kevin Spacey, produced and directed by David Fincher.
Now Groupon, while not streaming, is bringing its members to the big show with its first deal offer for movie tickets.
The promotion involves Lionsgate’s new release, The Lincoln Lawyer, the legal drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei that opens this Friday.
The tickets are priced at $6 each and available in several major cities. It’s pretty simple: pay the money to Groupon and receive a code to purchase tickets on Fandango.com, in a deal that is redeemable any time during the film’s theatrical run.
Rob Solomon, Groupon president and COO, describes the offer as “a strong start to what will hopefully be deep and mutually beneficial relationships with movie studios and theatrical exhibitors.”
Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns, meanwhile, calls Groupon the “perfect online partner.”
Sounds like a romance right out of Hollywood.
From www.brandchannel.com
This Week at the Movies
Mar 17th
NEW MOVIES
“Limitless” (PG-13). Not reviewed. This thriller stars Bradley Cooper is a man whose life is altered after he takes an experimental “smart drug.”
Opens Friday, March 18.
“The Lincoln Lawyer” (R). Not reviewed. Matthew McConaughey stars in this crime thriller as a defense attorney whose routine case goes awry. Opens Friday, March 18.
“Paul” (R). Not reviewed. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in this sci fi comedy as a pair of geeks who encounter an alien. Opens Friday, March 18.
NOW PLAYING
“The Adjustment Bureau” (PG-13). Matt Damon is well-tailored for his role as a rising New York politician whose life takes a strange metaphysical turn. Although it is philosophically shallow, the fast-paced story is entertaining. Grade: B Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Battle: Los Angeles” (PG-13). Alien invasion movies routinely take over movie theaters, but this one is pretty good. Although soldiers including Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodrigeuz are saddled with ponderous dialogue, they also fight the mysterious invaders in battle scenes that really pull you into the action. Grade: B Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Beastly” (PG-13). Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens star in a variation on “Beauty and the Beast” that’s set in a contemporary American high school. It’s thematically clunky, but image-conscious teen viewers may tap into the fairy tale’s eternal truths. Grade: C+ Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son” (PG-13). Literally broad comedy in which FBI agent Martin Lawrence and stepson Brandon T. Jackson go into drag disguise in order to pursue a case. The jokes are as relentless as they are obvious, so you might as well just go along with it. Grade: C AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Cedar Rapids” (R). A sheltered, single insurance salesman from a small town in Wisconsin (Ed Helms) takes his first airplane ride in order to attend a convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although the country vs. city jokes are formulaic, the characters have enough substance to make us care about them. Grade: B Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Drive Angry” (R). One assumes (or at least hopes) that this is a deliberately bad movie. Nicolas Cage outdoes himself as a surly and enigmatic driver on what may be a supernatural mission. In any event, there are fast cars, even faster women, heavy metal music, and extreme violence – and it’s all in 3-D. Grade: C Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Gnomeo & Juliet” (G). In this animated 3-D comic treatment of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, the young lovers are garden gnomes, the rapidly dispensed pop cultural references are all over the map, the songs are by Elton John, and the eclectic voices include James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Hulk Hogan, Ozzy Osbourne, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Dolly Parton, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith. It’s a busy mess, but has some funny bits. Grade: C+ Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Hall Pass” (R). The Farrelly Brothers sure know how to make a raunchy comedy. Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis play friends whose wives grant them a one-week vacation from marital fidelity. Although some of the crazy things that happen make it seem like logic also has taken a holiday, there definitely are gags that viewers will be describing to their buddies. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“I Am Number Four” (PG-13). Good-natured alien teenagers fleeing a hostile alien race seek refuge on earth. Their attempt to fit in at a high school in a small town in Ohio has certain, er, universal qualities to which young viewers will relate. There is nothing distinctive about this sci-fi comedy, but it knows how to please its intended audience. Grade: C+ AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Just Go With It” (PG-13). Adam Sandler plays a plastic surgeon who pretends to be married in order to woo single women who sympathize with his fabricated tales of marital woe. There are so many illogical and otherwise forced scenes that this comedy really strains for laughs. Thank goodness for co-star Jennifer Aniston’s expert comic timing, because she nearly salvages unbearable scenes. Grade: C Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” (G). Even if you are not impressed by 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber’s singing and dancing, you’ve got to admit he has great hair. This 3-D documentary combines concert footage, home movies, and interviews with Bieber, his family and his very demonstrative fans. Grade: C+ Cinemark Egyptian 24
“The King’s Speech” (R). Colin Firth plays the stuttering King George VI and Geoffrey Rush plays his speech therapist in the sort of inspirational, beautifully acted and handsomely produced English movie that amounts to Academy Awards bait. Although the clever banter and sentimental message sometimes verge on being just a vowel short of cloying, it’s a smartly packaged picture that emotionally wins you over. Grade: B+ AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Mars Needs Moms” (PG). A boy (Seth Green) and his mom (Joan Cusack) find themselves abducted by Martians and taken back to that red planet. This kid-friendly, animated 3-D movie is the reason why matinees were created. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Rango” (PG). Johnny Depp provides the voice for a very unconventional upholder of the law in this animated riff on spaghetti westerns. The story meanders and goes on too long, but there are clever bits along the way. Grade: B Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Red Riding Hood” (PG-13). Director Catherine Hardwicke also directed the first “Twilight” installment, which explains why the red hood-wearing Amanda Seyfried worries as much about the two young men courting her as she does about the big bad wolf. It’s a seriously silly romantic movie. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Take Me Home Tonight” (R). Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler star in a crude romantic comedy that jumps from one low joke to the next. It’s so desperately eager to make you laugh that it seems just plain desperate. Grade: C- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
“Unknown” (PG-13). Liam Neeson has a solid role as somebody attending a conference in Berlin whose very identity is soon called into question. Although the plot twists are so extreme that some viewers may peel off along the way, others will enjoy the car chases, shootouts and intrigue. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
All capsule reviews and grades are by Mike Giuliano unless otherwise noted. Bookings change on Friday. For showtimes and to confirm listings, call the phone number in Screen Scene.
SCREEN SCENE
AMC Columbia Mall 14
Columbia Town Center, Columbia,
410-423-0520
Snowden Square Stadium 14
9161 Commerce Center Drive, Columbia,
410-872-0670
Charles Theatre
1711 N. Charles St., Baltimore,
410-727-FILM
Maryland Science Center IMAX Theater
601 Light St., Baltimore,
410-685-5225
Muvico Egyptian 24
Arundel Mills Boulevard at Route 100, Hanover,
443-755-8992
West Nursery 14
1591 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum,
410-850-8999
From www.explorehoward.com
Vanessa Hudgens Wants Another Musical Movie Role
Mar 17th
- News
Vanessa Hudgens Wants Another Musical Movie Role
March 17th, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Photo: CC LGEPR
Vanessa Hudgens hasn’t left musicals in the past – she hopes to star in another one soon.
The 22-year-old actress found fame while filming Disney’s High School Musical with ex-boyfriend Zac Efron – and confessed she’s eager to sing again for another movie role.
“I definitely want to do a musical in the near future. I’m not sure what it would be but I love it. I love dancing… a lot now, more than ever,” she told MTV’s 10 on Top.
Vanessa’s so proud of her part in HSM franchise that she doesn’t even mind when fans confuse her with her character Gabriella Montez.
“Every now and then a little girl will run up to me and give me a big hug and call me Gabriella,” she added. “It’s really sweet. [She] was a great character to play and if they remember me by that, it’s OK.”
Hudgens recently admitted there’d be no more High School Musical movies for her – despite her friend Ashley Tisdale starring in an upcoming spin-off.
From www.omgmusic.com
Hanks to play sea captain
Mar 17th
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Last Updated: 2011-03-17 11:41:51
Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has been cast as heroic sea captain Richard Phillips in a new movie.
Phillips hit the headlines in 2009 when his cargo ship was stormed by Somali pirates. He offered himself as a hostage, providing the rest of his crew was allowed to sail away, reports express.co.uk.
He was finally rescued and wrote about his ordeal in the book A Captain’s Duty.
All About: Tom Hanks, Hollywood
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From www.sify.com
